


Not a Normal Day

by CJODell



Category: Nichijou | My Ordinary Life (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Appendicitis, F/F, Family, High School, Hospitals, Other, Randomness, Schoolgirls, Sick Character, Worry, operation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-25 05:04:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9803705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CJODell/pseuds/CJODell
Summary: Everything seems to be normal at first. At least as normal as Nichijou gets. But then Hakase develops appendicitis and has to be taken to the hospital. What will happen?





	1. Preface

Nichijou is a comedy manga created by Keiichi Arawi. It began serialization in the December 2006 issue of Kadokawa Shoten's Shonen Ace. An anime adaptation aired on Chiba TV and ran for 26 episodes from Sunday April 3, 2011 to Sunday September 25, 2011. It was produced by Kyoto Animation (the same studio behind Haruhi, Lucky Star and K-ON!) and directed by Tatsuya Ishihara (the director of AIR, Haruhi, Kanon, Clannad, and Chunibyou).  
In my humble opinion, it's one of the best shows that KyoAni has done. Seriously, you guys should go and check it out.  
Rating: Rated PG for some tense moments and some coarse language.


	2. The start of the day

Friday December 17, 2010: At the Shinonome Household, it was a relatively normal morning. Nano woke up and got ready for school. As she was preparing breakfast, Nano's creator, Hakase, walked into the kitchen and said, "Good morning, Nano". Likewise, Nano responded by saying, "Good morning, Hakase". However, Nano noticed that the normally cheerful and energetic 8 year old, today seemed tired and rather lethargic. Another thing Nano noticed was that Hakase barely touched her food, while any other day she would practically lick the plate clean. "Hakase, is something wrong?", Nano asked. "Hakase isn't very hungry", Hakase answered back. "Why?", Nano wondered. "Bad stomachache", Hakase responded.  
Nano put her head on Hakase's forehead. "You feel warm, maybe you should go back to bed", Nano told her, "And I'd like you to take it easy on the snacks today". "Yes, Nano", Hakase answered, "I'll try to". Just then, their cat, Sakamoto, walked into the kitchen. "Yo, what's up with all the ruckus?", he asked. "Good morning Sakamoto", Hakase told him. "How many times do I have to tell you to add the '-san' after my name?", Sakamoto scolded, clearly annoyed. "I'm sorry, Sakamoto", Hakase apologized, but forgetting to add the "-san" again. Sakamoto sighed and said, "Fine, whatever". "Good morning, Sakamoto-san", Nano said to him. After giving him his breakfast, she realized she was running late and quickly downed her breakfast. After this, she said goodbye to them and rushed out the door.  
Looking at the digital watch built into her arm, the time said 7:30 AM. She was supposed to meet her high school friends at the Daiku Coffee shop at 7:35. Realizing this, Nano sprinted there as fast as her legs could carry her. By some miracle, she made it right on schedule. This was one time that Nano was thankful that Hakase had put in a super speed function. She walked in and saw her friends, well two of them anyway. "Ah, Nano-chan, selamat pagi!", Yuuko cheered, waving to her. "Good morning, Nano-chan", Mio greeted, waving as well. "Good morning, Aioi-san. Good morning Naganohara-san", Nano replied before she asked, "By the way, where is Minakami-san"?  
"Mai-chan's not quite here yet", Yuuko replied. "We don't have time to wait for her! We're gonna be late!", Mio grumbled impatiently, "God help me, but we're going to have to leave right now if we want to get to school on time". With that, the three girls rushed to Kadokawa Station down the street and caught the 7:40 AM train which would lead them almost right to the front steps of Arawi High School. As they got off the train, Nano suggested, "Maybe Minakami-san is absent today". "Maybe. But we won't know until we get to school", Yuuko told her. They made it in the door to Class 1-Q, at 7:59 AM, just one minute before the 8:00 AM bell that starts school.  
At the same time, Mai came walking in the door. "Mai-chan, selamat pagi!", Yuuko greeted. "Selamat malam", Mai replied. "Mai-chan, what happened to you?", Mio sputtered, seeing that Mai's uniform was wet and splattered with mud. "Yeah, Mai-chan, what happened?", Yuuko wondered. "Mud puddle", Mai responded. "I was walking when a car ran over a puddle of mud, and accidentally splashed me with it". "Are you all right?", Nano asked. "Not to worry, I am fine", Mai assured her. "Oh by the way, Nano-chan", Yuuko stated, "Our study group is still on at your house tonight, is that right?". "Oh, yes", Nano explained, "But we'll have to be quiet today. Hakase isn't feeling well today". "Oh, all right", Mio told her, "We'll be careful". "Yes, certainly", Mai nodded back.


	3. At School

11:00 am  
While the girls were walking to their third period class which was usually science but today was study hall (for Ms. Nakamura, the science teacher had been incapacitated once again in one of her many failed attempts to catch Nano), they happened to wander upon a crowd gathered around the windows looking outside the courtyard. "I wonder what's going on over there", Nano comtemplated. "I have no idea. We should go see.", Mio answered. The four girls ran over to where the crowd was. "Hey, what's going on here?", Yuuko asked. "Didn't you hear?", Tanaka, the boy with the afro, explained rather nonchalantly, "Apparently, a deer wandered into the courtyard again". "Principal Shinonome is trying to fight him off", Nakanojo, the boy with the mohawk, added, "I wonder who's going to win".  
It was an appropriately epic battle of man versus beast. After failing to corral the deer with a lasso, the deer then gave the principal a kick from his front legs. This caused him to roll on the ground several times from the force before coming to a stop. The whole crowd gasped in shock. "Eeeehhh? What's going on?", Annaka, the girl with the huge red ribbon, sputtered. "Koucho!", Yuuko shouted. Principal Shinonome then climbed on top of the statue next to him. "Wow, he's still going!", Mio exclaimed. "Go! Go!", Weboshi and Fecchan cheered. He then jumped from the top attempting to land on top of the deer but instead landed on the dirt. "It looks like its a stalemate between the deer and my grandfather", Nano stated.  
Just then the deer charged, jumped in the air, and headbutted the principal in the abdomen, causing blood to come out of his mouth as he fell on the ground. The whole crowd then gasped in horror. "Koucho! Koucho death!", Yuuko screamed. "Grandfather!", Nano shrieked. "Oh my god!", Mio shouted. But to everyone's astonishment, Principal Shinonome then got right back up a few seconds later. He then threw off his jacket, revealing a bulletproof vest. "Whaaaat?", Annaka shrieked. "He's still going!", Weboshi and Fecchan shouted. "Damn! Our principal is tough as nails.", Tanaka noted. "Hopefully, Principal Shinonome will finish the deer off now.", Nakanojou agreed.  
They were right, as a few seconds later, the principal finished off the deer with a German suplex, which then sent the deer running back into the woods. The students then applauded and cheered which did not go unnoticed by Principal Shinonome who took a bow to the students. "Hooray!", Yuuko cheered. "Wonderful!", Nano squealed. "Well done!", Mio exclaimed. "Impressive", Mai noted, clapping her hands.

1:30 pm  
Later on that day, in the school yard, Makoto, Ms. Sakurai's younger brother, and Mr. Takasaki, the Japanese teacher, were engaged in yet another Igo Soccer match. They even had a referee involved as well as witnesses, in the form of Kenzaburo and Yuria, the two founding members of the Igo Soccer club, who both looked on in awe. Makoto was standing on his hands and holding the ball in between his legs. Mr. Takasaki stood there with his right hand stretched out and his hand at a 90 degree angle.  
"He told me to read the guide and I didn't and now I haven't a clue what is going on", Kenzaburo complained. "Even if you did read it, you still wouldn't understand", Ogi explained, appearing seemingly out of nowhere, "Both of them are cheating. Not only that, but the high-level atmosphere of their game could make this very dangerous". Both of the students next to him gasped as he concluded, "People could die. That's why I need to stop this before someone gets hurt".  
With that, he charged, shouting, "FINAL RABUDO! OGI FORBIDDEN TECHNIQUE!". He then flew right under Makoto and Mr. Takasaki, much to Kenzaburo and Yukia's astonishment. As he crashed into the wall, the force caused both players to fall onto the pavement. Both men struggled to catch their breath. "Not bad, kid", Mr. Takasaki stated. "You as well, Sensei", Makoto agreed. They then stood up and shook each other's hand. "Unbelievable! I never gave this much thought when we started the club. Is this really happening?", Kenzaburo thought to himself  
Content Warning: Here is where things start to get intense, folks. (Not to mention a little confusing for some). Just remember that in Nichijou, anything, and I do mean anything can happen.  
3:30 pm  
At exactly 3:30, the last bell rang signaling the end of the school day. As the girls exited, Yuuko cheered, "Woo-hoo! Christmas vacation! No school for two whole weeks!". Nano replied, "Now I'll be able to keep a better eye on Hakase", then noticing that Mio wasn't there, she asked, "By the way, where is Naganohara-san?". "Away on business", Mai told her. "Excuse me?", Nano asked. "What Mai-chan means to say is that Mio-chan said she had some important business to take care of", Yuuko explained.  
Of course, what they didn't know was that Mio had actually challenged Misato, the red-haired tsundere (Extreme Type A), to a kendo duel. Why you ask? Well, Mio had seen Misato walking with Kojiro, the dude with glasses who rides a goat to school, as well as the boy that Mio is madly in love with. The problem was that Misato had feelings for him too, no matter how much she denied it or shot at him with her endless array of guns (don't worry, he can take it), it was still pretty obvious.  
On the school roof, Mio and Misato faced each other with swords in hand. Two of the latter's classmates, Weboshi and Fecchan, were also on hand watching the whole encounter. "Tachibana! This ends now! Sasahara-sempai will be mine!", Mio yelled. "Think again, Naganohara! You're not taking Sasahara away from me!", Misato shouted. Both girls screamed an epic war cry as they charged towards each other with their blades drawn. This got the attention of the 3 girls on the ground. "What was that?", Nano wondered. "It came from the roof", Mai responded. "That sounded like Mio-chan. She must be on the roof!", Yuuko gasped, "Damn it! We need to get help!".  
With that, the three girls ran inside to find a teacher. "Hey look there's Sakurai-sensei", Yuuko explained as they ran up the hallway, "Maybe she can help". She tapped Ms. Sakurai on the shoulder who then screamed in terror and held up her notebook to protect herself. "Sakurai-sensei. It's just us.", Nano assured her, "We need help. Naganohara-san is on the roof!". "What do you mean?", Ms. Sakurai wondered, "Is she in trouble?". "I don't know, but we need to find out!", Yuuko explained. The four girls then rushed up a central stairwell that would lead them to the rooftop.  
Meanwhile, the showdown between Mio and Misato was heating up with astonishing speed. Remember when I said that in Nichijou anything can happen. Well, it is now. Misato had now resorted to firing a machine gun at Mio. "Eat lead, man stealer!", Misato screamed. Mio jumped up in the air, a blue battle aura surrounding her as she somersaulted and avoided each bullet. "Get a taste of my laser beams, fireball!", Mio shrieked as she fired a huge blue ball of energy from her hands.  
Seeing Mio fire her lasers, Weboshi and Fecchan ran for cover. At the same time, Misato fired a big ass bazooka in Mio's direction. When the projectiles met, it caused a huge explosion that shook the building and sent both girls flying through the air. The two other girls emerged from a pile of rubble. "What just happened?", Fecchan asked. "Something big, that's all I know", Weboshi explained. At the same time, Mio and Misato emerged from their positions and charged at each other again with their weapons. "Oh god! Here they go again!", Weboshi shouted. "Quick! Hit the dirt!", Fecchan cried out. Both girls dived onto the ground and braced themselves for another hard impact.  
At the same time, Yuuko, Nano, Mai, and Ms. Sakurai arrived on the roof. The teacher swung open the door leading to the roof. But another huge explosion nearly sent them falling down the stairs. "W-What was t-t-that?", Ms. Sakurai sputtered, clearly frightened. "I don't know, but whatever it was it was huge!", Yuuko exclaimed. They ran back into the fray where the four girls were, and were greeted by a huge pile of fire, smoke, and rubble. Upon seeing this, Ms. Sakurai finally put her foot down and scolded both Mio and Misato for causing so much damage. However, she wasn't really as mad as she was scared, and she got them to declare a temporary truce. With that, the two girls separated and went off.


	4. The End of the Day and Trouble at Home

4:00 pm  
After what had just transpired on the school roof, it was unusually quiet on the train ride home for a little while. "Oh come on! What the hell? Someone has to have something to talk about!", Yuuko complained, "It's too freaking quiet in here!". She said this just a little too loudly though, as the other people in the train all turned to her and gave her a disapproving look. "Please keep your voice down! We're on a subway, not the playground!", Mio scolded her.  
"Anyway, Nano-chan, are we still allowed to come over tonight?", Yuuko asked. "Of course, Aioi-san", Nano confirmed, "You're still allowed to come over, as long as you don't get too loud". "Why? It's a Friday night and we're on break for 2 weeks", Yuuko wondered. "Geez! Are you that dense? She said this morning that Hakase was sick", Mio reminded her. "Ah damn it! I'm sorry, Nano-chan", Yuuko apologized. "It's all right. You just forgot that's all", Nano assured her.  
"What exactly is wrong with Hakase?", Mai asked, seeming genuinely concerned, at least for her standards. "Well, she barely ate any of her breakfast this morning", Nano told her, "Any other day she would have licked the plate clean". "Why would that be?", Mai wondered. "Apparently, she had a bad stomachache", Nano continued, "She called right after we left the school, and told me she hadn't eaten all day because her stomachache was getting worse". "If she doesn't get better by tomorrow, you should take her to the doctor", Mio explained. "Yeah, or get the doctor to come to the laboratory", Yuuko added. "Good idea", Nano answered back, "It might be something serious".  
Just before the train stopped at Kadokawa Station, Nano explained to her friends, "I have to do some grocery shopping before I head home". "Why don't we help you out?", Yuuko suggested. "Yeah, four heads are better than one", Mio added. "I'll help too", Mai chimed in. "That's a wonderful idea!", Nano exclaimed, "Then we can go right to your house from there", Yuuko added in. "That way we don't have to separate", Mio chimed. "So its agreed", Nano stated, "We'll head to the market first, then to the laboratory". "Ready to go!", Yuuko and Mio cheered. Mai just nodded "yes" in reply.  
5:00 pm  
The girls finished up at the supermarket and began walking the roughly 750 meters (2,461 feet or almost half a mile) to the Shinonome Laboratory. Being so late in the year now, the sun sets at roughly 4:30 pm this time of year. So as you can imagine, it was dark by the time they got out of the supermarket. Anyway, getting back to the story. All of the girls were carrying one of the bags in their hands.  
"That's the one thing I hate about this time of year" Yuuko complained, "It gets dark way too early". "I know what you mean, Yuuko", Mio agreed, "It's a shame it gets dark early now that it's getting close to winter". As they got closer to the suburbs though, something strange happened. The houses on the streets were lit up with Christmas lights of different colors. "Even though I said I hate how it gets dark earlier, I gotta admit the neighborhood looks Super Ultra Great Delicious Wonderful", Yuuko stated. "I agree with you on that one", Mio chimed in, "I think it looks beautiful". "This is one of the benefits of walking home during this time of year", Nano agreed.  
The girls reached the Shinonome Laboratory at about 5:15 pm. "I'm home!", Nano called out as she opened the front door and the girls set the bag down on the floor. "Yo", Sakamoto answered as he stepped into the hallway. "We'll put the stuff away for you, Nano-chan", Yuuko told her. "Yeah, we're your guests so we should help out", Mio agreed. "Thank you so much", Nano answered, then turning to Sakamoto asked, "By the way, Sakamoto-san, where is Hakase?". "In bed trying to sleep. The girl didn't eat a thing today. She said her stomach kept hurting her and she even threw up twice", Sakamoto explained.  
"You mean she didn't eat anything?", Nano wondered. "I watched her all day", Sakamoto continued, "Check the snack cupboard if you don't believe it". Nano looked in the cupboard where she kept all of Hakase's snacks and sure enough, it had not changed at all from when she had left for school that morning. "You're right, Sakamoto-san", Nano told him, "All of the snacks are still here". "Strange, isn't it?", Sakamoto contemplated, "Usually she'd have eaten at least one or two of those things".  
Meanwhile, Mai had been listening to them the whole time. She walked up to Nano and tapped her on the shoulder. "Do you think it could be something serious?", she wondered, seeming really concerned. "I'm not sure", Nano told her, "But something is not right here". Yuuko and Mio had taken notice of this as well, and as soon as they finished putting the groceries away, they told Nano that they were going to check on Hakase to see how she was doing. "I'm sure it's nothing too serious. Maybe she just has a really bad stomach bug", Mai tried to assure. "It probably is but I just can't shake the feeling that something is going to go wrong", Nano explained to her, "It's an instinct I have". Unfortunately for her, her instinct proved right.  
A few seconds later, Yuuko and Mio came rushing back into the kitchen, and both had clear looks of distress on their faces. "Nano-chan! Come quick!", Yuuko called out. "Something's wrong with Hakase!", Mio added. The four girls, along with Sakamoto, sprinted into the bedroom. Hakase was laying on the floor in a crumpled heap, crying and clutching her stomach with both hands. "Oh my god! Hakase! What's wrong!", Nano gasped. "It hurts, Nano! It hurts really bad now!", Hakase whimpered with tears streaming down her face and sweat dripping from her forehead.  
Nano put her hand on Hakase's forehead and pulled it away after a second. "You're burning up, Hakase!", Nano told her then turning to the three other girls called out, "Quick! Call Dr. Hanada! The number is on the fridge!". With that, Yuuko and Mio rushed out to the phone. "Ow! It really hurts!", Hakase moaned, "Make it stop!". Sakamoto walked up to her and told her, "Just stay calm, kid. Everything will be just fine." To that, Hakase replied with the most desperate look on her face, "Hakase can't help it! Hakase is really scared!". Mai grabbed Hakase's right hand and told her, "Calm down, Hakase. Worrying will only make it worse. I'm sure everything will be fine", even though in her own mind, she was quite worried.  
A few minutes later, Dr. Hanada and his partner, Dr. Nishiya, pulled up in front of the house. Yuuko and Mio directed them inside and into the bedroom. After taking a close inspection of her condition, Dr. Hanada turned to the four girls and explained, "Well, quite frankly, it looks like young Hakase might have appendicitis". "Appendicitis?", Nano sputtered, clearly shocked, "You mean she might need surgery?". "Well, we'll need to bring her to the hospital to make sure", Dr. Hanada explained.  
"I'll summon the ambulance", Dr. Nishiya added as he pulled out his cellphone and dialed 119. "Yes, we are at the Shinonome Laboratory. We have an eight year old girl complaining of severe stomach cramps and she is currently running a fever of 39.5 degrees Celsius (103.1 degrees Fahrenheit).", he told the operator, "We think it may be appendicitis. Yes, please send an ambulance to the Shinonome Laboratory immediately. Thank you".  
"I don't want to have surgery!", Hakase whined. "I'm afraid you might not have a choice this time", Nano told her. "If left untreated, appendicitis may cause a serious infection that could very well kill you", Dr. Hanada explained, "But you don't need to worry, little Hakase. If you do have it, the operation is very simple". "I underwent the procedure myself back in '08", Dr. Nishiya added, "And I was in and out of the hospital within 2 or 3 days". "See Hakase, nothing to worry about", Yuuko told her. "Yeah, the people at the hospital are going to take really good care of you", Mio added.  
At about 5:45 pm, the ambulance pulled up to the front door. Two attendants, one male and one female, came in carrying a stretcher. "Hello there, my name is Mr. Muramoto", the man explained. "And my name is Ms. Nishioka. What's your name?", the woman asked. "M-My n-name is H-H-Hakase", Hakase sniffled still a little scared. "It's all right, you don't need to be scared", Mr. Muramoto told her. "He's right. The nice people at the hospital aren't gonna let anything bad happen to you", Ms. Nishioka added.  
With that, they loaded her onto the stretcher and wheeled her into the ambulance. The other 4 girls followed suit. Nano, with Sakamoto on her back, asked the two doctors, "How much do I owe you?". "Usually we charge 2,500 yen ($30.02 USD) for house calls", Dr. Hanada answered. "But for you, this time, it's on the house", Dr. Nishiya added. "Thank you very much", Nano sputtered greatfully. "You're welcome", Dr. Hanada and Dr. Nishiya called out to her as the doors closed and the ambulance sped off into the night.


	5. The Ride to the Hospital and The Diagnosis

6:00 pm  
Inside the ambulance, things were not getting any less stressful for anyone. With all of the girls and both of the attendants inside the cab part, it was quite crowded. Then to make matters worse, the ambulance got stuck in rush hour traffic the moment they got on the freeway onramp which was located about 5 kilometers (3.11 miles) away from the Shinonome Laboratory, which reduced their speed from the usual limit of 85 kilometers (52.82 miles) per hour to 55 kilometers (34.18 miles) per hour.  
The only hospital that could handle Hakase's condition, Kyoto General Hospital, was a total of 40 kilometers (24.85 miles) from the laboratory, and the exit leading to KGH was 30 kilometers (18.64 miles) away from the onramp they used to get on. That meant that a trip that usually took about 21 minutes was now going to take more like 33 minutes. And with Hakase being as sick as she was, time was the one thing that they could not afford to waste, especially stuck in traffic.  
"As the pain gone away at all, Hakase?", Ms. Nishioka asked. "No, no, no! It's still getting worse and worse!", Hakase sobbed, clearly in excruciating pain. "The important thing now is to try to stay calm", Mr. Muramoto explained, "We're going to make sure you get better". "Hakase's trying to keep calm! But this is the worst pain that Hakase ever felt in her life!", Hakase cried out, before another sharp jab of pain hit her. A few seconds later, she threw up yet again. Luckily, she managed to get it into the bucket next to her instead of all over the floor.  
"Don't worry, Hakase. I'm sure everything will be fine", Nano tried to assure her. "But I've never had surgery before!", Hakase reiterated, "What if I wake up during the operation". "Come on, Hakase. The odds of that happening are like a billion to one", Yuuko explained, "If your appendix has to go, it has to go". "You might not even need surgery, don't forget", Mio told her, "But if you do need it, it's infinitely better to go through with it than to suffer more pain". "Everything's going to be just fine, kid. Would I ever lie to you?", Sakamoto assured her. "Well...", Hakase stated as she thought to herself. "Come on, kid. It's a simple yes or no question!", Sakamoto grumbled, a bit annoyed by her pause. "No, I guess not", Hakase admitted.  
"May I say something?", Mai asked, raising her hand. "Yes, be our guest", Nano answered. Mai then turned to Hakase and said to her, "Back in the fall of 2002, I had an appendicitis attack myself". "Really?", Hakase asked. "Yes. I was 7 at the time, and I was just as scared as you are now", Mai continued, "But do you know what I did to help myself feel better about it?". "What did you do?", Hakase wondered. "With the help of my mother and father, I just kept telling myself that there wasn't anything to be afraid of and that I was bigger than this", Mai told her, "And I know that you can be brave about this too". "Hakase will try really hard to be brave, even though it still hurts really bad.", Hakase told her. "I know you can do it, Hakase", Mai assured her with a gentle smile on her face.  
"Mai-chan, I didn't know that you had your appendix taken out", Yuuko stated. "Yeah, you never told us that about you", Mio added. "Well, it wasn't that big of an incident even back then", Mai answered, "Have you two ever suffered from an appendicitis attack?". Yuuko and Mio shook their heads and replied that they hadn't. "I know exactly how she's feeling right now", Mai explained, "Trust me, if your appendix was acting up, you would cry too". "You know, I almost wanted an appendix for a little while. But seeing what Hakase is going through, I don't want it at all now", Nano replied.  
6:45 pm  
After nearly a hour long commute they made it to Kyoto General Hospital at long last. The staff at the hospital were already notified of their arrival. Hakase was wheeled out of the ambulance and in through the emergency entrance. Nano held her hand as she was wheeled in, while Yuuko, Mio and Mai followed right behind. Sakamoto was riding on top of Nano's head. One of the nurses led them to Room #24, where a doctor was waiting for them. The three other girls were told that they would have to go into the waiting room until everything was all settled.  
"Nano-chan, we're going to have to wait in the waiting room", Yuuko stated. "We should take Sakamoto with us since they don't allow cats in this part of the hospital", Mio added. "We'll be waiting for you to give us news", Mai chimed in. As the three girls started to head to the emergency room, Sakamoto quickly climbed on the stretcher, looked at Hakase and told her, "Everything will be just fine, kid. Don't you worry". With that, he licked her cheek and jumped down to join the others. A few seconds later, a doctor walked into the room.  
"Good evening, I'm Dr. Kitanohara", he greeted, "So what seems to be the problem, Hakase?". "My stomach feels like it's on fire", Hakase told him. "She also threw up at least 3 times today, the last time was inside the ambulance, and she has a really high fever. Dr. Hanada and Dr. Nishiya checked her out right before we came. Here's the chart they gave us", Nano explained, handing him the chart. "Hmm, let's see. Severe stomach pains in the lower right side, vomiting, lack of appetite, high grade fever", Dr. Kitanohara read to himself, "Looks to me like you might have appendictis". "That's exactly what they said", Nano stated.  
"Well, as a doctor it is my job to diagnose Hakase properly", Dr. Kitanohara replied. He then did one of the usual tests for appendicitis by placing his hand on the area. Yes, doctors actually do this as one of the tests, before any of you worry. Upon removing it, Hakase's pain became worse than it was before he removed his hand. "Well, the area is quite tender in that area", Dr. Kitanohara concluded, "I think we need to get an ultrasound of that area". "How long will that take?", Hakase asked. "Only about a few minutes", Dr. Kitanohara concluded, "I have another patient at the moment. Another doctor will be in shortly to do the ultrasound".  
Not too long after Dr. Kitanohara left the room, another doctor entered the room with the ultrasound equipment in tow. "Hi there. I'm Dr. Takemoto", he greeted, "I'm here to do the ultrasound". "Isn't that the thing where you put the gel on my stomach and scan around it to look for stuff?", Hakase asked. "Why, yes, you certainly know your stuff!", a clearly amazed Dr. Takemoto exclaimed as he applied the gel onto Hakase's stomach, "How old are you again?". "Hakase is eight years old", Hakase replied. "Eight years old. Wow.", Dr. Takemoto complimented, "You certainly are a smart little girl". "In fact, the girl that you see next to me is actually a robot that I built myself last year", Hakase added. Nano gasped in shock and she shrieked, "Hakase! Why did you tell him that?".  
Dr. Takemoto just chuckled and said, "Calm down, young lady. I've seen it all", as he started the ultrasound examination. "Oh boy, you kids today and your crazy stories", he whispered to himself. As the examination progressed, Hakase gasped in pain everytime the scanner moved down her right side. He finished the examination and he said, "Well, that's done. Your results will be back in a printed form in a minute or two. Another doctor will tell you about them". With that, he left the room with the ultrasound in tow.  
About ten minutes later, a female doctor came in the room holding a file folder. "Good evening. My name is Dr. Utsumi", she said. "Well doctor, what's the diagnosis?", Nano asked. "Well, I have the results back", Dr. Utsumi replied. "And it seems that Hakase does have appendicitis according to the ultrasound". "Is Hakase going to need surgery then?", Hakase wondered. "I'm afraid so", Nano told her. "But luckily, we caught it early. And the prognosis for an appendectomy is excellent. You'll probably be out of the hospital by Sunday morning", Dr. Utsumi assured, "Hakase, I'll give you some medication that will hopefully help you relax". "Okay, Doctor", Hakase told her. "I'll be right back, Hakase", Nano said as she stood up. "All right. But hurry back", Hakase called out to her.  
7:15 pm  
As she walked back into the waiting room, the other girls stood up out of the chairs and walked to her. "Well, what did the doctor say?", Yuuko asked. "Hakase has appendicitis", Nano replied, "They're getting ready to prep her for surgery". "It'll be all right, Nano-chan. Hakase's a strong girl.", Mio assured her. "I know, but it's just...I'm still worried about her", Nano whimpered, with tears filling her eyes. Mai put her arms around Nano and told her, "Please don't cry. Everything will be just fine. Once the surgery's over, Hakase will be healthier than she's ever been".  
"You really think so, Minakami-san?", Nano wondered, wiping her eyes. "I know so. It made me healthier when I had my appendix taken out", Mai answered. Sakamoto walked over to Nano, tapped her on the leg and told her, "Don't worry, girl. The kid will be just fine". Just then, Dr. Utsumi came back out. "Excuse me, Doctor", Yuuko explained, "We came here with Hakase Shinonome". "She's supposed to be heading into surgery soon", Mio added, "Could we see her for a few minutes?". "Well, normally it would be against the rules", Dr. Utsumi answered, "But this time, I'll let you talk to her. But just for a few minutes, that's when we have to get her into surgery". "Thank you, Doctor", Mai told her. With that, the four girls along with Sakamoto headed back in.


	6. Surgery and Waiting

7:20 pm  
The four girls went in to see Hakase in Room #24 as she was being prepped for an emergency appendectomy. "So how are you feeling, Hakase?", Nano asked. "Hakase is feeling a little better, Nano. The medicine seems to help a bit", Hakase explained. "Kid, you won't have anything to worry about", Sakamoto assured her, "These doctors know what they're doing. If they hurt you, they're going to hear about it from me!". Hakase giggled a bit at his comment and stated, "Thank you, Sakamoto, I mean, Sakamoto-san". "Hey, did you just call me Sakamoto-san?", the cat realized, "Hooray! Finally, I get some respect!". He then jumped off the bed and did a back flip.  
Hakase then turned to Dr. Kitanohara and asked him, "Is there any chance you could put my appendix in a jar so I can keep it". Upon accidentally hearing this, Nano turned as white as a sheet and fainted, prompting Yuuko and Mio to catch her before she hit the floor. "I'm afraid we don't usually do that here, Hakase", Dr. Kitanohara explained, chuckling a bit. "Well, does anyone have a video camera?", Hakase wondered. "Wait a second. Hang on", Yuuko stated as she reached into her bag and pulled out a portable video camera, "Here's one. Why do you ask?".  
"Can someone videotape the procedure? I want to see what my appendix looks like when it gets removed", Hakase explained turning to Dr. Utsumi, and whispering in her ear. "Well, no one's ever requested that before", Dr. Utsumi replied, "What do you think, Dr. Kitanohara?". "Well, I don't think that breaks any rules", Dr. Kitanohara admitted. Upon hearing this, Dr. Utsumi turned to Hakase and told her, "I guess you can have it taped".  
"Oh thank you!", Hakase beamed, "Yuuko, is it all right if they use your camera for this?". "Well, OK, Hakase", Yuuko said to her, "But there's not very much battery power left on it". "My shift at the ultrasound laboratory just finished, so I'll videotape it for you", Dr. Takemoto told her. Throughout this conversation, Mio made sure to cover Nano's ears so that she wouldn't accidentially hear the conversation and faint again.  
"By the way, when does surgery commence?", Mio wondered. "Well, the operating room at the other end will call when they're ready for us", Dr. Takemoto explained, as his phone started beeping, "Ah, right on schedule". By this point the drugs that they had given Hakase to help put her to sleep were kicking in. "Well Hakase, we'll see you in a little while", Yuuko told her, while simultaneously handing Dr. Takemoto the camera to videotape. "We'll be in the waiting room", Mio added. "And we'll come and see you, once you're out of the operating room", Mai chimed in.  
Finally, Nano walked up to Hakase, gently kissed her little hand and said, "Just remember what Minakami-san told you, Hakase. Think positive". "Yes, Nano. I will.", Hakase whispered with a yawn. As Hakase was being wheeled to the operating room, Dr. Utsumi walked up to the girls and explained, "You four will need to go back into the waiting room now. But don't worry, another doctor will tell you when the operation is completed". "Thank you, Doctor", Nano stated. "You're welcome, Ms. Shinonome", Dr. Utsumi concluded.  
7:30 pm  
Inside the waiting room, the girls were sitting down and awaiting word on what was going on. "Ah damn it!", Yuuko exclaimed, "I forgot I have to call my mom and tell her what happened". She dialed her home phone number and put the phone to her ear. "Hello, Mom. It's me, Yuuko", she stated, "Well, right now, we're at Kyoto General Hospital". Immediately after she said this, Mrs. Aioi went ballistic, chewing out her daughter through the phone for everyone in the waiting room to hear.  
"What are you doing at the hospital! You told me you were just going to Nano-chan's house!", Mrs. Aioi screamed over the line, clearly infuriated. "Mom, listen to me just for one second", Yuuko tried to explain, but her mother cut her off. "NO, YOU LISTEN TO ME YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE BRAT! AFTER ALL THE STUFF I'VE DONE FOR YOU OVER THE YEARS, THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME? I DON'T NEED THE ADDED STRAIN OF HAVING TO DRIVE 30 MILES TO KYOTO TO PICK YOU UP FROM A HOSPITAL!", Mrs. Aioi shouted. By now, the whole waiting room was looking at her. Yuuko, now blushing fiercely from embarrassment, decided that enough was enough.  
"WILL YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME FOR ONE FREAKING SECOND, YOU BITCH!", Yuuko shrieked, "We had no choice but to go! Hakase had an appendicitis attack and she's in surgery right now! We couldn't leave Nano-chan alone with her! Don't you get it?". Mrs. Aioi just mumbled, "I-I d-didn't know about that". "That's what I tried to tell you! But did you listen to me? NO! YOU JUST HUMILIATED ME IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE WAITING ROOM!". "I-I-I-I'm sorry, Yuuko. I d-didn't mean it like that. I was just really worried about you!", Mrs. Aioi sputtered, clearly shocked and close to tears.  
Yuuko, realizing what she had just done, sighed and said, "Look, I'm sorry I snapped at you, Mom. And you won't have to pick me up from Kyoto. I'll take the subway back, OK". "Well, OK, but please try and be home before 11. All right?", Mrs. Aioi asked. "I will, Mom. I'll probably be back before that. Just don't worry, Mom. OK, bye", Yuuko concluded as she hung up. She looked up and looked at the other girls. Mio looked shocked, Nano looked she was going to faint, and even Mai seemed a bit surprised. She then looked around and everyone else looked astounded as well. Yuuko laughed nervously and explained, "Sorry about that everyone". With that, everyone went back to what they were doing.  
7:50 pm  
A little while later, after things had calmed down, Mio got up and stated, "Well, Im going to get us some food. There's a fast food place right down the street from here". Yuuko got up as well and said, "I'll go with you, Mio-chan. Mai-chan, are you coming?". To that, Mai replied, "No thank you, I'll stay here with Shinonome-san". "Well all right, Mai-chan.", Yuuko told her. "We'll be back in a few minutes", Mio explained as they exited out the sliding door. This left Nano and Mai to keep watch for any news. Sakamoto had fallen asleep on Nano's lap.  
"You know, Minakami-san. I'm still a little bit worried about Hakase", Nano admitted. "I'm sure you have nothing to worry about", Mai assured her, "Like they said, these doctors are professionals". Just then, two girls walked up to them and introduced themselves. "Hello, my name is Hiromi", the first girl said. "And my name is Tomoko", the second girl chimed in. "And we're the Ikeda twins", they replied together. "Say don't I know you two from somewhere?", Nano wondered. "We're in the same homeroom as you", Hiromi answered. "Come on, you know, Room 1-Q?", Tomoko added.  
"Oh yeah, now I remember!", Nano replied, "So what are you two here for?". "Our little sister is in for a broken arm", Hiromi explained. "So what are you guys in here for?", Tomoko asked. "Hakase, Nano's creator, is in surgery right now for appendicitis", Mai answered. "Yes, the poor girl was in such pain while we were coming up here", Nano added. "We know exactly what it's like", Hiromi told them. "You do?", Nano wondered. "Yeah, why, I had mine taken out back on August 9th", Tomoko explained.  
"You had yours taken out too?", Mai asked. "Yeah, she did, and I was there with her", Hiromi explained, "And it wasn't pretty, as Tomoko will tell you". "Exactly right, Hiromi", Tomoko continued, "I had the worst pain in my side, my temperature went up to 40.5 Celsius (104.9 degrees Fahrenheit), my appetite had vanished, and I was throwing up every two or three hours". "That's almost exactly what Hakase's symptoms were", Nano realized, "Except her fever wasn't quite as high".  
"How old is Hakase?", Hiromi asked. "She's eight years old", Nano replied. "What grade is she in?", Tomoko wondered. "Hakase doesn't go to school, Shinonome-san told me that she's home schooled", Mai answered. "Wow that's amazing!", Hiromi exclaimed. "Yeah it is", Tomoko agreed. "Well, we'd better be heading back to the second floor now", Hiromi stated. "Our parents are probably wondering where the hell we are", Tomoko added. With that, Hiromi and Tomoko said goodbye to the other two girls and went back up.  
8:10 pm  
Not too long after, Yuuko and Mio came back from the fast food joint. They reentered through the sliding entry doors to the waiting room with their arms full of bags. "We're back!", Yuuko called out, "So any news about Hakase?". "No, not yet", Nano replied sadly. "I'm sure everything will be just fine", Mio answered, "They said it usually takes about 1 to 2 hours, and its only been about 40 minutes". "Come on, guys", Yuuko cut in, "Maybe if we eat something it will calm us down a bit". She took out 4 double hamburgers, 4 medium orders of fries and 4 medium sodas.  
After they had eaten, they tried to figure out something else to do. Eventually, Yuuko and Mio took out some playing cards, and engaged in an epic game of Go Fish. "Do you have any 3's?", Yuuko wondered. "Go fish!", Mio chimed. "Damn, you're beating the pants off me!", Yuuko complained as she picked up another card. "Do you have any 7's?", Mio asked. Yuuko grumbled as she handed Mio her two 7's.  
Meanwhile, Nano was too worried about Hakase to do much of anything. Mai held her hand as she read her book. "Do you really think Hakase will be all right, Minakami-san?", Nano asked. "Hmmm?", Mai mumbled, deeply into her book. "I said, do you think Hakase will be all right?", Nano reiterated. "Of course, she'll be all right", Mai answered, "She's a strong little girl. Besides, there are a lot of things worse than an inflamed appendix".  
8:40 pm  
After a little more than an hour total, Dr. Kitanohara came back out of the doors leading to the emergency room. Nano saw this, ran up to him and pleaded, "Doctor! Please tell me! Is Hakase going to be all right! I just have to know!". "Nano-chan! Get a hold of yourself!", Mio shouted as she grabbed her by the shoulders. "Yeah, I'm sure everything's fine. Right?", Yuuko asked. "Just calm down, everyone", Dr. Kitanohara assured them, "Hakase is out of surgery and it looks like she's going to be just fine".  
"Really? She's going to be all right?", Nano asked, her heart rising. Dr. Kitanohara nodded "yes" in reply and he told her, "I'm a doctor. I would never lie to my patients". "Did you hear that? Hakase's going to be all right!", Nano cried out, both relieved and excited. "That's great, Nano-chan", Yuuko stated. "Can we see her?", Mio asked. "Sure thing, she's in the intensive care unit on the second floor", Dr. Kitanohara replied, "Her room is #246. Just try not to surprise her". "We'll remember that, Doctor", Mai answered from her seat.  
Just then, Dr. Takemoto came running through the doors with Yuuko's camera in tow. "Well, hello again, Dr. Takemoto", Dr. Kitanohara responded. "Greetings, comrades. I came to return the camera.", Dr. Takemoto replied as he handed the camera to Yuuko. "Thank you, Doctor", Yuuko told him. "My pleasure and thank you for allowing us to use it", Dr. Takemoto replied back. "Wait a minute, why did they use a camera for?", Nano wondered. "We'll explain it in the elevator", Mio told her as they headed to a nearby elevator to head up to the second floor.


	7. After the Surgery

8:45 pm  
After they had gotten the word from Dr. Kitanohara that Hakase was out of surgery, the four other girls were given permission to go up to the Intensive Care Unit on the second floor to see her. But before they went up, they got an idea on how to cheer Hakase up. They decided not to go up just yet, and they instead stopped at Kyoto General Hospital's in-house gift shop/florist to get a little get well present for her. "Good evening ladies, what can I do for you this evening?", the gift shop's manager, Mr. Ishidate, asked them.  
"Good evening, to you too sir, we're looking for something for one of our friends", Mio replied. "You see, she just got out of surgery for her appendix", Yuuko explained, "And we thought that we'd surprise her with a little get well present". "Do you have any toy sharks?", Mai asked.  
"Well, I think I might have some in the back room", Mr. Ishidate responded, "Hang on just a second". About 30 seconds later, he came back out holding an adorable stuffed toy shark. "Well, here it is", he answered, "You girls can have it for 700 yen ($8.40 USD)". "We'll take it!", Nano exclaimed.  
"Do you guys have any 'Get Well' balloons too?", Yuuko wondered. "We sure do", Mr. Ishidate told her. "And what about 'Get Well' cards?", Mio asked. "We've got those too", Mr. Ishidate assured. "And could we also have a small bouquet of flowers?", Mai questioned. "Sure thing", Mr. Ishidate explained, "I'll get them for you". About 2 minutes later, he came back with a bouquet, a huge freshly inflated "Get Well" balloon, and a big "Get Well Soon" card.  
As soon as he placed the gifts on the counter, Mr. Ishidate went back up to the register to calculate their total. "So that's 700 yen for the shark, 105 yen ($1.26 USD) for the balloon, 125 yen ($1.50 USD) for the card, and 750 yen ($9.00 USD) for the flowers", he announced, "So your total comes to 1,680 yen ($20.17 USD)".  
"1,680 yen is actually not bad for what we're getting", Yuuko noted. "Not bad at all", Mio agreed, "Normally we'd pay anywhere from 2,000 yen ($24.01 USD) to 2,500 yen ($30.02 USD)". "So if we split the costs four ways that's just 420 yen a piece ($5.04 USD)", Mai chimed in. With that, the four girls each took out their 420 yen and placed it on the counter.  
"You know, my wife and I make every one of our stuffed animals by hand", Mr. Ishidate added, "And we've made them to last. Usually they last at least 4 or 5 years". "Well, either way, I'm sure Hakase will love this little toy", Nano told him, "Thank you very much!". "No, no, thank you girls", Mr. Ishidate insisted, as the girls left the shop.  
Before they went up, the girls all signed the card. Luckily the card was large enough for all 4 to write their own little messages. And this is what the messages said:  
Yuuko's message: Well, you made it through. Hurry up and get well, my friend, so we can have some fun.  
Mio's message: Get well soon, little one. You've made us proud with your bravery.  
Mai's message: I really hope you get better soon, Hakase. You truly are one of the most wonderful people I've ever met.  
Nano's message: I love you very much, Hakase. I love you like a mother loves her daughter. I'm very proud of you. Take your time getting better.  
Sakamoto's message: Being a cat and all, he would obviously have trouble writing, so he just put his paw in some ink and placed it on the card, so that it would come out.  
After they signed the card with their names, they were ready to go up. "Now with that out of the way, let's bring this up to Hakase", Yuuko stated. "Yeah, I'm sure Hakase will love it", Mio added. As they were walking back to the elevator, the girls ran into Dr. Kitanohara. "Wait a second, didn't you guys go up to see your friend?", he asked.  
"We were, but we decided to get her a little 'Get Well' present first", Nano explained to him. "Oh, all right. Anyway, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you all", Dr. Kitanohara continued. "Now do you remember which room she's in?", Dr. Kitanohara asked them. "Yes, we remember. Room #246 on the second floor", Mai chimed in. "Well, what are we all standing around here for? Let's head up there!", Sakamoto, who was riding atop Nano's head, exclaimed. With that, the girls once again got in the elevator and went up to the second floor.  
Inside the elevator, Nano once again remembered about the camera. "By the way, why did the doctors use your camera, Aioi-san?", she asked. "To tell you the truth, Nano-chan. Hakase asked the doctors if they could videotape the procedure since she couldn't have her appendix placed in a jar", Yuuko admitted.  
Upon hearing this, Nano once again got weak in the knees and her face turned a sickly shade of green. Mio grabbed her before she fell to the floor. "Are you all right, Nano-chan?", she asked. "Yes, yes, I'm f-fine, N-Naganohara-san. I just get creeped out by those sort of things", Nano replied. At the same time, the elevator doors opened and the girls walked out onto the second floor.  
9:00 pm  
The girls knocked on the door to Room #246, and a second or two later a rather short man with glasses came out of the room holding a chart. "Oh excuse us, sir!", Yuuko exclaimed. "We didn't watch where we were going!", Mio sputtered. "Quite all right", he assured them gently, "I am Dr. Ishihara by the way, I'll be checking in on the patient in this room from time to time".  
"This is Hakase Shinonome's room, is that correct?", Mai asked. "Yes, that is correct. She just got out of an appendectomy", Dr. Ishihara explained, "Dr. Kitanohara called me you all were coming up here". "May we go in to see her?", Nano wondered. "Certainly, but you may have to wait a few minutes before she wakes up", Dr. Ishihara reminded them as he went to check on another patient. And with that, the girls entered Hakase's room.  
They walked up to the middle of the room and they saw Hakase in one of those hospital beds, still asleep from the anesthesia they had given her during the surgery. "Hmm, you know Mio-chan, Hakase looks pretty darn adorable sleeping like that", Yuuko noted. "You're right Yuuko. Hakase does look quite cute", Mio agreed. "All we have to do is wait until the anesthesia wears off and she wakes up", Mai added.  
"Oh dear, I wonder how long that will take", Nano wondered. "When I had my appendix taken out, the doctor told me I was asleep for about 2 or 3 hours", Mai explained to her, "But I've read that it varies from person to person". At the same time, Sakamoto climbed on top of the bed and sat himself down next to Hakase. "Well, if any of you need me, I'll be right here on the bed", he told the girls as he curled up in a ball to make himself comfortable.  
"I hope it doesn't take too long for her to wake up", Yuuko chimed in, "Visiting hours end at eleven, don't they?". "Yes, but don't worry", Mio assured her, "We still have plenty of time, it's only ten after nine". Well, as it turns out they didn't have to wait very long, as Hakase was already starting to stir from her slumber.  
9:10 pm  
"Oh hey guys look, Hakase's starting to wake up!", Nano gasped. Hakase slowly opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was her creation's sweet and loving face staring down at her. "Nano? Is that you?", Hakase asked as she rubbed her eyes. Nano gently put her arms around her creator and whispered, "Yes, it's me and the others are here too". "You did good, kid", Sakamoto told her. "Now the worst for you is over", he added as he rubbed his head against her neck.  
"So how are you feeling now, Hakase?", Yuuko asked. "Well, Hakase does feel a lot better, but Hakase still feels a little pain down here", Hakase told her, "But it's nowhere near as bad as it was earlier". "We're just glad you're going to be all right", Mio chimed in. "And by the way, we brought you a little get well present", Mai explained to her. And with that, the girls showed Hakase the toy shark, the flowers, and the balloon, much to her surprise.  
"Wow! I love it!", Hakase beamed, "Those flowers will go perfectly in the vase I made, and I can put the balloon in my room". "Don't forget about the little toy shark we bought you", Nano reminded her. Hakase then looked down and saw the stuffed toy shark on her lap. "Awww, it's so cute! I'm going to name it Sharky.", Hakase gushed hugging the stuffed animal. "We figured you'd like it, Hakase", Yuuko told her. "We all know how much you love sharks", Mio added. "We got you a card too", Mai interrupted, as she held up the card.  
Hakase read the card and she was clearly moved by everyone's messages. "It's so beautiful.", Hakase whispered with a smile on her face and tears filling her eyes. "That's what we really think of you, Hakase", Yuuko told her. "We all love you like you're a little sister to us", Mio explained. "And we're all very proud of you for being so brave", Mai added.  
"So Hakase, what do you think of the card?", Nano asked. "Hakase loves it very much", Hakase replied wrapping her arms around Nano. "I'm really glad you like it, Hakase", Nano told her as she wrapped her arms around her and gently kissed her on the forehead. Hakase wiped her eyes and said, "Thank you everyone from the bottom of my heart". "You're welcome, Hakase", everyone answered back in unison.  
Just then, Dr. Ishihara walked back into the room. "Oh I see that you've woken up, Miss Shinonome", he explained, "So how are you feeling, Hakase". "Hakase is feeling much better, Dr. Ishihara", Hakase told him, "Even though Hakase still feels a little bit of pain down here". "Nothing to worry about, Miss Shinonome. That will go away in a couple of days", Dr. Ishihara assured her. "By the way, when can I go home?", Hakase asked. "You will probably be able to go home on Sunday afternoon", Dr. Ishihara explained, "We'll need to keep an eye on your condition until then".  
At the same time, Dr. Kitanohara came running into the room. "Oh, good evening, Dr. Kitanohara", Dr. Ishihara greeted. "Good evening to you as well, Dr. Ishihara", Dr. Kitanohara replied. "Is something the matter, Dr. Kitanohara", Nano wondered. "Nothing's wrong, I just came to deliver this to Hakase", Dr. Kitanohara told her, holding up a DVD in a case.  
"What is it?", Hakase asked. "The video of your appendectomy", Dr. Kitanohara explained. "All right, thank you. I've wanted to see what my appendix looked like", Hakase cheered. Upon hearing this, Nano turned pale and collapsed into the chair next to the bed. "Nano-chan!", Yuuko shouted. "She's fainted again!", Mio yelled. "Nano? Are you all right?", Hakase asked, obviously confused. "This is going to be a long night", Dr. Kitanohara noted. "I'll go and get an ice pack", Dr. Ishihara explained as he went back out into the hall.  
Epilogue  
Sunday December 19, 2010, 2:30 pm  
After 2 days in the hospital, Hakase was finally cleared to go home. Her condition had improved rapidly after the surgery. After Nano signed the release papers, she and Hakase exited the hospital where the other girls were waiting for them. "Well, I certainly don't want to go through that again", Nano noted. "Don't worry, Nano. Hakase has only one appendix", Hakase assured her.  
"I still can't believe how much better you've gotten", Yuuko told her. "Like it has been said, Hakase's a strong little girl", Mio explained. Suddenly, a gust of wind caught Hakase's balloon and began to blow it away. Fortunately, Mai managed to grab hold of it. She did have to climb on top of Yuuko and Mio to do it, but still. "Here you go, Hakase", Mai said to her, with a smile on her face.  
"Thank you", Hakase replied, "You know you actually look cute when you smile". Mai blushed a bit and said, "Thanks, Hakase". Sakamoto who was riding in the box that held Hakase's get well present rolled his eyes and asked, "Can we go already before something else happens?". "We're going right now, Sakamoto-san", Nano told him as they walked off.


	8. Author's Notes

Author's Notes Chapter 1:  
* Selamat Pagi - Selamat Pagi is the Indonesian saying for "Good morning". Yuuko has a habit of greeting Mio and Mai with this saying.  
* Selamat Malam - Selamat Malam is the Indonesian saying for "Good evening". Mai greeted Yuuko by saying this in Episode 1.

Author's Notes Chapter 2:  
* Apparently according to Episode 26, the principal's name is Shinonome.  
* Koucho - Japanese for principal.  
* Type A Tsundere - they generally have "tsun-tsun" (cold and harsh) as their default mood, but sometimes they have their "dere-dere" (warm and loving) moments. Misato had a MAJOR one in Episode 25.

Author's Notes Chapter 3:  
* Super Ultra Great Delicious Wonderful - a quote that results from the show's many uses of Gratuitous English. Yuuko has said this line at least twice, but that was when she was either upset or confused.  
* 119 - the emergency number in Japan.  
* Dr. Hanada is named after script supervisor Jukki Hanada (花田 十輝). Hanada wrote the scripts for Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 14, 16, 20, 24 and 25, a total of 11 episodes. He also wrote several episodes for K-ON over its 2 season run.  
* Dr. Nishiya is named after character designer Futoshi Nishiya (西屋 太志). Nishiya was the animation director on Episodes 1 and 26, as well as on the 2 opening and ending sequences the show had. He is also a animation director and key animator on many of KyoAni's programs.  
* Mr. Muramoto is named after Katsuhiko Muramoto (村元 克彦). Muramoto wrote the scripts for Episodes 7, 9, 18, 21 and 23, a total of 5 episodes. He also wrote scripts for several episodes of Haruhi, Lucky Star and K-ON.  
* Ms. Nishioka is named after Maiko Nishioka (西岡 麻衣子). Nishioka wrote the scripts for Episodes 6, 8, 17 and 22, a total of 4 episodes. She was also an in between animator on Clannad, K-ON, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya and the K-ON movie.  
* 1 United States dollar was worth 83.2909 Japanese yen in December of 2010.

Author's Notes Chapter 4:  
* In Japan, the average speed limit on a freeway from 70 to 100 KPH (43.50 to 62.14 MPH)  
* 1 kilometer - 0.621371192 miles  
* Dr. Kitanohara is named after Noriyuki Kitanohara (北之原 孝将). Kitanohara storyboarded and directed Episodes 7, 12, 15 and 24, and he also worked on key animation for Episodes 2 and 24 as well as the first opening credits sequence. He is a veteran of Kyoto Animation, having storyboarded and directed episodes for Full Metal Panic, AIR, Haruhi, Lucky Star, Clannad and K-ON, and he was a unit director on The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.  
* Dr. Takemoto is named after Yasuhiro Takemoto (武本 康弘). Takemoto storyboarded and directed Episodes 8, 16, 22 and 25, and he also worked on key animation for Episodes 2 and 8, and he was also the assistant episode director on Episode 1. A veteran of Kyoto Animation, he was also the series director of Lucky Star and the 2 Full Metal Panic spinoffs made by KyoAni, as well as serving as assistant director on The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.  
* Dr. Utsumi is named after Hiroko Utsumi (内海 紘子). Utsumi storyboarded and directed Episodes 3, 9, 18 and 19, and she also worked on key animation on Episode 1 as well as the two opening credits sequences. She is a relatively new director at Kyoto Animation, having started with the second season of K-ON and she was also as a unit director on The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya and the K-ON movie.

Author's Notes Chapter 5:  
* Hiromi and Tomoko are named after Kazumi Ikeda (池田 和美) & Shoko Ikeda (池田 晶子), two of Kyoto Animation's best animators and real life sisters. Kazumi is the elder sister, and she was the animation director on Episodes 3, 9, 18 and 19, and served as key animator on Episodes 1, 18 and 19 as well as the two opening credits sequences. She was also the character designer for Kanon and Clannad. Shoko is the younger sister, and she was the animation director on Episodes 7, 12, 15 and 24, and served as key animator on the two opening credits sequences. She was also the character designer for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Author's Notes Chapter 6:  
* $1 USD = 83.2909 JPY (December 2010 statistics)  
* Mr. Ishidate is named after Nichijou's co-director Taichi Ishidate (石立 太一). Ishidate storyboarded and directed Episodes 2 and 26, wrote the script for Episode 15, and storyboarded and directed the show's 2 ending sequences. He has also storyboarded and directed episodes for many of Kyoto Animation's programs, such as Full Metal Panic, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Kanon, Lucky Star, Clannad and K-ON.  
* Dr. Ishihara is named after Nichijou's director Tatsuya Ishihara (石原 立也). Ishihara storyboarded and directed Episode 1, wrote the script for Episode 13, and storyboarded and directed the show's 2 opening sequences. A veteran of Kyoto Animation, he also was the director of AIR, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Kanon, Clannad, and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya film. Most recently, he was a storyboard artist and unit director on the K-ON movie.


End file.
